Calling it a “citywide emergency,” St. Catharines council is asking staff to immediately consult with Niagara Region to come up with solutions that could be implemented to help residents cope with rats.

“We’re getting a lot of calls and it’s out of control,” Port Dalhousie Coun. Carlos Garcia while making a motion Monday night directing staff to take action. “We think of rats as being out in the high heat in the summer, but they’re running around in broad daylight in the winter.”

Garcia said people are saying they have clean properties but the rats are burrowing and chewing anyway and everyone is concerned about potential diseases they carry.

Even though city staff visit affected properties and provide advice, Garcia said residents increasingly complain they’ve tried all recommended remedies including traps and poison to no avail.

When they call the city they’re told it’s “their issue” and “it’s up to council.”

He said Niagara Falls is considering a rebate program for properties that quality to get help from outside pest control companies and suggested St. Catharines look into similar strategies.

“I realize it’s a regional responsibility but providing information is not solving the problem.”

Fellow ward Coun. Bruce Williamson said he can’t overstate how many people have called Garcia and himself about rats.

Residents have told him they’re trapping eight to 14 rats. He said it shouldn’t be up to private individuals to do the trapping and questioned how safe that is for pets and others.

Williamson said he thinks the city has an obligation to do something and a lot of responsibility resides with public health.

“Let’s hope we get something happening on this front,” he said.

The problem extends beyond Port Dalhousie.

Merritton Coun. Jennie Stevens said her ward is inundated with phone calls as well.

Stevens said she personally had to hire a pest control company and was told with every rat burrow there could be seven to 12 others.

She said she’s spoken with residents who did everything they were advised to do — get rid of bid feeders, clean out their compost, move their patio furniture and even cut down their apple trees — and they still have the problem.

“We have to look at why the rat population is so intense in St. Catharines,” she said, adding they need to come up with strong solutions and do baiting before demolishing buildings.

But Mayor Walter Sendzik, who with St. Patrick’s Coun. Mat Siscoe voted against the motion — it declared the rat problem a “citywide emergency” — warned council there are a lot of rodents that cause as much damage as rats.

“We can approve this, but we don’t want to open up this pandora’s box,” Sendzik said.

In the end the vote was 8-2 for a staff report that will come back to council at its March 5 council meeting with recommended solutions.

Council previously requested information about how residents could deal with rats.

A public health officer and the manager of building and development made a presentation in October about the pamphlet sent to homeowners that gives advice on how to make properties less attractive to rats.

St. George’s Coun. Mike Britton said he asked for a report looking at the Niagara Falls model during a budget committee meeting last November.

Director of transportation and environmental services Dan Dillon said a report would be coming to the budget committee about baiting of sewers at a meeting this month in response.